Jordan, Israel Weigh Gas Deal

Amman, Plagued by Energy Crisis, Would Be First Buyer of Newfound Reserves

By

Joshua Mitnick in Tel Aviv,

Summer Said in Dubai and

Sara Toth Stub in Jerusalem

Updated June 25, 2013 7:35 p.m. ET

Jordan has been holding talks to become the first country to buy natural gas from Israel, which on Sunday approved a plan to export 40% of energy reserves recently discovered beneath the Mediterranean Sea, analysts and people familiar with the talks said.

A deal would offer Jordan a cheap energy source and relieve a painful energy crisis. Two years of supply shortages from Egypt's pipeline to Jordan have spurred price increases,...